WordPress is a free and open source platform. And there are thousands of free plugins available to extend and enhance its functionality.  So with so many free plugins available, why would you ever pay for a paid plugin?

This will vary from site to site.  There are times when free plugins do just great and fit your needs perfectly… and there are AMAZING free plugins out there.   But there are also some amazing paid plugins that perform just as well if not better.

The important thing is to evaluate your needs.  How important is this plugin to your site?  If the functionality it provides stopped working or went away tomorrow, would it be a big deal?   If the answer is yes, then a paid plugin may give you a bit more security.

Just because a plugin is paid, doesn’t by default make it any more worthy than a free plugin, but it does mean the developer has some skin in the game by way of a revenue stream to not only keep the plugin working for as many users as possible, but also continue improving and developing the plugin.

Another important point to remember… free isn’t always free.   There’s always a cost.  If the plugin you’re using is not well documented, or troublesome to configure, or you’re having an issue that’s costing you downtime while you wait for support, just because you don’t see it on your credit card statement as a dollar amount, doesn’t mean there’s not a cost to that.

For tips on how to evaluate and select plugins, see my past blog titled “So many plugins… so little time!”

>> Joshua Pettit is Lead Developer and Project Manager at Sunrise Marketing.  http://www.sunrise-marketing.com/